Breaking: Nylander breaks silence on contract stalemate!

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HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Breaking: Nylander breaks silence on contract stalemate!
Zuma Press

The 2018-19 season kicked off last night as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime during their first game of the campaign, which also marked the first game without the services of William Nylander for the foreseeable future due to ongoing contract issues.

Leafs president Brendan Shanahan came out last night and confirmed that the team expects players to take less in order to keep the group together and grow into a championship calibre team. Shanahan’s interview with Sportsnet from Wednesday revealed his position on Nylander and the contentious contract negotiations between the player and the team:

“We want players that want to be Maple Leafs and this might not be for everyone…”
“To embrace the city of Toronto, you have to WANT to be a Toronto Maple Leaf and we are lucky that we have a lot of players that seem to embrace that responsibility.”*
“We’re working hard toward William… we want William to be a part of this, but obviously this is something that William has to go through.”
“It’s not for everyone and we’re not for everyone, but we feel that with the players we currently have, while it’s not going to be easy, we have great confidence that they have bought into this program and being a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Finally on Thursday, Nylander broke his silence and commented the ongoing contract stalemate to Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet after a skating session. 

"Right now, I do not know more than all the rest of you," Nylander said, per Google Translate. "I have not received any message and have no contact with Toronto. It's my agent who takes care of everything."

Nylander did not taking part in the Leafs' training camp and will be missing out some action in the NHL before an agreement is made, and, as NHL senior writer for TSN Frank Seravalli revealed, he is missing out on so much more... Seravalli reported earlier on Wednesday that Nylander will be missing out on some hefty cash for each day he remains without a contract. Seravalli is reporting that Nylander is losing out on anywhere from $20,000 to $45,000 for every passing day Nylander has not signed.

"Yes, it is clear that there is a lot of money, but in the end I have to take care of myself and do it myself and my agent thinks is right," Nylander said. "Especially if it's about several years to come. I have to think long-term. It's my own future it's about."

When asked if he watch the Leafs' first game of the season last night, Nylander was honest: 

"No, but I saw highlights from the match in the morning," Nylander said. "Those were great goals. I want to play, but now it's the way it is.

"But I want to stay in Toronto."

Source: TSN